Steering Problems of Toyota Highlander - part 1

At 11:15 am, June 13, 2025 when I turn right at intersection, my steering wheel suddenly became hard (could not turn). My car nearly hit median in my left hand when the steering wheel back to normal. So I could steer my car avoid accident. This is first time I encountered problem like this. Everything is normal right now. No warning or everything popped up on display.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

My vehicle about a year ago started to display the dash lights for the vsc, abs, and emergency brake however there was no indication from the feel of the brakes as they were applied, or any indication that something was wrong with the vehicle. I had my brakes replaced on my rear tires, and for a time the lights went off. In April of 2025, the lights came back on however this time there was a distinct feeling that the brakes weren't working. I had the calipers, pads, rotors, and a tube replaced, however the lights are still on, and the vehicle now violently shakes after reaching speeds of 45 mph (mirroring the complaints from the following site: [xxx] ). Toyota has refused to acknowledge this and put consumers out thousands of dollars. This is clearly something Toyota needs to honor. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Was driving and all of a sudden ‘steering power low’ came on and engine died, got stuck in a busy intersection and needed assistance from police officer until I could be towed. Steering did not work to push car to side of the road so I was stuck in the center of the traffic. There was absolutely no lights or warnings before the steering power low and it died. Could have been very dangerous, I am supposed to drive north through the mountains to go camping in 2 days, lucky it didn’t happen then. At the mechanic now and they jumped the battery and say it’s working fine and they can’t find the problem.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

- transmission has a whine sound. - steering while start in to peel off after 25k miles driving.

Toyota manufacturing issue-fuel line is manufactured incorrectly-had gas seeping into cab of vehicle and tailpipe. Severe safety issue steering wheel/column sticks and almost lose control when driving due to a worn out coupler-poor design and manufacturing.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

I was in a school line waiting for my children. I went to hit the gas to move and the car said “maintenance required” and then flashed other warning lights “low power steering fluid and engine light. ” then the car turned off and screens were flashing. I tried to restart the car but the steering column was locked and brake pedal was locked. I checked all fluids and they were full. I had someone jump the car and it turned back on. I figured maybe a bad battery. Had aaa come look at the car and all diagnostic testing was normal. Next day, car does it again in the middle of an intersection.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Headed westbound on 285 in georgia; hit on passenger side front door and vehicle swerved several lanes and hit a wall going 60 miles per hour. The airbags did not deploy. I was injured badly and the vehicle was totaled.

Driving the car was hard to steer. Check engine light came on and check speed sensor. Went to a mechanic and disconnected the battery, the sensor reset and back driving ok for about two weeks. This went on for a few weeks. Been a month now and it hasn't come on but it was dangerous due to driving and turning issues.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Driving along interstate 20 west in alabama to mississippi, the Highlander completely shut off - the dash & radio were blank. The steering wheel locked up. Luckily there was no vehicles behind or beside us when this happened. Within seconds, the truck came back on. 15 minutes prior, we were sitting in a parking lot to eat lunch & while in idle, the truck shuddered a few times, like the gas pedal was pressed.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering was excessively hard to steer. The power steering malfunction and pre-collision warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed power steering and failed rack and pinion. The power steering and rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The parts were ordered to complete the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,050.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Poser steering failed momentarily. I was at the drive-thru window of cvs and was afraid my mirror would hit the pole when I pulled forward. I tried to turn while backing up slowly from a full stop. The car momentarily resisted my attempt to turn the wheel. There was no safety risk at the time. I have not had the problem investigated. The problem quickly corrected (within 2 seconds(?), o I did not notice or look for any warning lamp or message. I have read of steering failure on highways in the 2019 Highlander and am concerned that this is a harbinger.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The fact that the dealership was able to sell this car with a recall on is crazy, yes I have blame for not looking as well but now we are having issues with the front bumper hitting the tires when you turn and making a grinding noise. We were told that there’s nothing they could do as of yet but as I see this recall has been open for a while now? this is a big concern to us what if they don’t find anything wrong or so they say and something happens? they need to speed up the process to find a solutions loosing a front bumper while your on the highway is a big risk.

The steering technology in this vehicle reads lines on the road that are not correct or valid lanes and almost caused several accidents during the 2 years I had the vehicle. Luckily, I was paying attention and had to jerk the wheel to the correct lane but the steering wheel will force itself to the other false lane. This is extremely dangerous and this is a huge safety issue.

Driving on i75 at 75mph, while trying to adjust the steering wheel, as soon I unlocked steering wheel lock and put the steering all the way to lowest position it just stalled on highway. Lucky enough I was alone and was able to pull over safely. There is seriously something wrong with steering wheel electrical or ignition system or something with else.

The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while his wife was driving inside the parking lot of a gas station, the steering wheel seized and then the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact stated that a bystander assisted with jumpstarting the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to a nearby walmart and was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact purchased and replaced the battery. The contact called and made the local dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Highlander hybrid. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v480000 (steering) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not yet available.

3 wheel alignments in same vehicle needed in less than 30 months: <5,000, 30,000 and 35,000 odometer readings it’s not from pot holes; I have owned about 14 cars in family fleet and have never had 1 vehicle need more than 1 alignment during it’s time of ownership of over 1,000,000 miles driven something is wrong with vehicle design or mechanical components to go out of alignment so frequently.

My 2008 Toyota Highlander gas pedal must be lose. Because I barley push the gas and it takes on fast. I was driving home on the highway and the truck just died . The battery dies I couldn't turn my wheel I could not press the break.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

There is a clunk noise in the steering column on bumpy roads.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The power steering is clunky, locks in position when backing out of a parking spot, is clunky and unreliable at slow speeds. I can feel the steering column get far tighter feeling when turning at slow speed (3-10 mph).

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Clicking in steering column light comes on dash for power steering then hard to make turn then well go back off then able to make turns with ease again.

Steering column locked on several occasions while driving. Electrical systems blink on and off. Exactly as described in NHTSA recall #15v144000 and as far I can tell the exact same part number.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

In the last 30 days, the steering has begun to feel "loose", as if I am driving on ice. At first it was barely perceptable. There has been more "play" in the steering. During the last 2 days, the car is now making a thud when I am steering right. I have an appointment for a mechanic to look at it. The car is a 2011 Highlander, awd, with 89,000 miles on it. I feel the steering issue could be very dangerous at some point.

My car would randomly shut off at red lights, one time I was on a hill & thought I was going to roll back into the car in front of me. After restarting it would turn on. The radio would randomly shut off. We eventually replaced the battery. On a fri. (Dec 17th) my car would not start, so my husband drove the kids & I to school, upon my return the car started. He told me the wheel locks & I need to move it. Then on mon. (Dec 20th) driving my daughter to preschool school…I have video from home camera showing your system will not let me attach a video) …my car stalling as I reversed out of the driveway. I loose all control, then you hear that I pulled the emergency break & stop just before two cars pass by. I then restart the car, it goes, I drive 3 houses down I pressed the break to make a left turn onto a side street, my car accelerated & smashed into a telephone pole on the drivers side. You can hear the crash on my home camera. The impact was so hard, it bent my a frame, my airbags did not deploy, my drivers side door would not open. I shifted the pole & cracked the frozen dirt ground around it as seen in the pics. I can provide a copy of the body work repairs. We paid our $1k deductible. The car jpeg image icon does is not show like the other pics attached, so I attached a screen shot as well. We have other pictures & video’s of damage to provide upon request.

When I turn the steering faster than a certain speed, it will lock up for a moment, either turning right or left. Sometimes a light indicating a steering fault lights up on the dash cluster, sometimes not. When the turning of the wheel stops and locks up I cannot turn any more in that direction. I can turn the other way. This has been a problem for sometime and is becoming now worse. Aside from the locking up, justing turning slowly, there is a bit of a whine or low level grind sound in the sound of the steering column. This is a mechanical noise, not the typical whine of the steering pump.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

Driver's seat belt locked up so I was unable to wear it, I hit a deer tried to swerve to miss it, and my car was shaking uncontrollably.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

While entering a business park's parking lot, my vehicle suddenly and immediately stopped all forward movement. I was thrown against the steering wheel, injuring the right side of my chest and scraping the skin off my right forearm which was covered with the sleeve of my shirt. I was dazed, had no idea what happened, and thought that I had hit something but yet no airbags had deployed. When the vehicle stopped it was near a light post which I assumed I had hit. Upon exiting the vehicle I noticed the front tire was blown and the wheel was sitting on the ground at an odd angle. Walking around the vehicle showed no other body damage other that a few small strips of yellow paint from the base of the light post. When the tow truck driver was placing the chains to load it onto the flatbed, he called my attention to the fact that the drivers side control arm had failed. See the attached pictures for further detail. I am very grateful that I was not in traffic on a major highway as this would have been a horrific accident. Pictures show the control arm had a crack with exposed rust on edges of a fracture in the control arm. This vehicle has only been serviced at Toyota authorized dealerships and has undergone their multipoint inspections during these visits that include the front and rear suspension. I will not feel comfortable driving this vehicle again!.

Vehicle constantly drift to the left which make it very unsafe because the driver is in a continuous correction mode to remain in one lane - can inspect anytime, alignment and tire rotation has been complied with at least 8 times within the last 3 months by Toyota dealer and firestone conclusion alignment is ok sometimes with minor correction. I'm constantly holding pressure on the steering to the right and left to remain in my lane doesn't matter about the road. The problem is worst on multi - lanes in the same direction with tractor trailers passing due to air current.

Sudden power steering failure. Hybrid vehicle with power assist steering.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota Highlander 🔎.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Highlander. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the steering wheel inadvertently locked. The warning message "ets failure - steering will be harder to steer" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated he forcefully steered the steering wheel and veered to the side of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and as he restarted the vehicle, the steering wheel was still significantly difficult to steer. The contact stated he was able to drive the vehicle to the nearest dealer, though the steering wheel was significantly difficult to steer. The dealer diagnosed the failure as a computer system malfunction. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they would follow up with the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000. The VIN was not provided.

Steering rack/box.

I was forced to change lanes quickly from the left lane to the left shoulder of an interstate when a double tandem tractor trailer moved into my lane of traffic. The interstate was dry and the left shoulder was in excellent condition and wide enough to accommodate my vehicle easily. All lane assist options were turned off, the driving mode was set to “economy” and the cruise control was turned to “off”. A few seconds after entering the left shoulder of the interstate, I felt the rear end of my vehicle sway from side to side for a few seconds. After the swaying ended, I thought there was a brief loss of vehicle control after which the vehicle returned completely to my control. My vehicle is a Toyota Highlander limited awd gas engine SUV with about 2700 miles when this occurred. I drove my vehicle without any emergency steering maneuvers 2700 miles prior to and 500 miles after this incident without any problems. I had my Toyota dealer examine the suspension, steering and event recorder of the vehicle and test drive it. They found the vehicle to be performing within manufacturers specifications and without any defect in the steering or suspension and found no codes found in the event recorder.

In the last 4 weeks my 06 Highlander hybrid has had malfunctions in the brakes and in the power steering. Both issues rendering the car inoperable. The first issue that was to arise was the brake actuator pump. I noticed it was failing when I got in the vehicle to move it out of the driveway and noticed after I put the car in gear that their was no power brake assist. When the car was shifted into drive the car began rolling even while I was pushing hard on the brakes. Luckily the brake assist resumed and I did not run into anything but the car unintentionally moved about 5 feet. I mentioned this to my wife, and she said while driving home one day the car made a high pitched buzz. She was close to home, so she made it home and parked the car and forgot about the noise. After the car was turned back on again no noise was made and no cel or warnings were displayed. The actuator was replaced, and the car operated fine for about one week and probably 40 miles of driving. I want to mention I had noted a odd feeling in the brakes for years leading up the the failure. The brake pedal would continue to the floor while trying to maintain constant pressure on the brakes. I believe this is due to the actuator losing pressure, but it would cause an uneasy sensation of failing brakes, but no cel's were ever triggered. The new actuator fixed this. After fixing the car we drove it on a few trips. Yesterday 8/24/21 my wife went to drive the car, and it wouldn't start. She tried about 10 times and it wouldn't turn on. I put a battery charger on the car and the battery looked okay. I tried to start it a few time probably 5 and finally got the ready light, so the car was ready to go, but all of a sudden the car would shut off and the ready light would go out and the p/s light would come on. This light is triggered when something is wrong with the power steering system, and the computer will disable the vehicle. The car immobile now. These are worth recalling.

Upon turning on the vehicle the brake peddle locked and the steering wheel. Message prompted "braking power low, stop in safe place". After that all electronic features failed and vehicle did not turn on at all. Vehicle wouldn't even lock. Mine and my families safety was at risk due to the fact that this could have happened while the vehicle was in motion and all steering and braking abilities are lost. The vehicle is scheduled to be seen. No warning signs/lampsor other symptoms where present prior to the incident.

- the car was purchased in 2015 used and the steering wheel has made a clunking sound when turning a hard sharp left or right since the day of purchase -while on a road trip of approximately 3,000 miles round trip in June 2021 the steering wheel was adjusted to accommodate my husband's height. It became very loose, with it finally dropping into my husband's lap on the last day of our trip-it was difficult to steer the car -we brought the car in to our dealership the following day where they confirmed we needed a new steering column-the car has not been involved in any accidents nor have the air bags employed -other than the "clunking" sound there has never been any previous warning that the steering wheel would disengage while driving.